The Role of Output Devices in the Higher Education Courses of Cartography - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 31

reference which later became more specific including the development of carto-
graphic systems (whatever it means). The only objection to the commission's work
was that it was usually highly based on the hardware elements of computer
cartography (including output devices), but the cartographic presentation was
often hidden in the background. This opinion on computer-assisted cartography
was still valid in the 1980s. The series of AutoCarto conferences (USA) had a
strong influence on the technical development of computer cartography, but the
results of this dynamic process were used only in the most developed countries.
In 1971-1972 a questionnaire result demonstrated that ICA member countries
thought that there was a need for a commission to study practical map production
methods and techniques. The Commission on Cartographic Technology was estab-
lished in 1972 with the following terms of references:
• To review current cartographic techniques and processes.
• To disseminate information on these techniques and processes.
• To organize commission meetings.
In order to avoid overlapping with the above mentioned Special Commission on
Automation the new commission restricts its activities to study
• Color proofing techniques (which is an important part of the map production
process);
• Register systems (these systems were developed to make the offset printing
process smoother and to avoid mis-registering);
• An evaluation of techniques for the production of small editions of multicolored
maps (this problem is still existing, but the digital printing methods are now
easily available, which was a not a case when the commission was originally
formed).
The commission was very active in the early years, they continuously monitored
the new development of the map production technology, but due to the production
of different written manuals and handbooks their activities were partly slowed
down. The name of the commission changed several times and now it is called
Commission on Management and Economics of Map Production. Although the
subjects of the commission has changed comparing to the early years, but matters
like printing-on-demand, web publishing and archiving should be researched by the
commission since the middle of 1990s.
In 1984 the first volume of Basic Cartography for students and technicians was
published (Fig. 3.1 ). All together three volumes and an Exercise Manual was
published. The Volume 3 was published in 1996 and dealt mostly only with
computer cartography. But in the first two volumes there was all together 10
large chapters. The Map reproduction chapter was written by Christer Palm in
Volume 1 (Sjef van der Steen was a co-author in the second edition), but additional
chapters like Techniques of map drawing and lettering, Map compilation and
Computer-assisted cartography have also partly dealt (or at least mentioned) to
the output part of cartography. The effect of the Basic Cartography volumes was
important since the original formulation of the concept of the series cartography,